Update on Luke...

Below is the latest update on Luke from Lynsay, who is fresh out of surgery and doing well, but still in need of our prayers. Or better yet, check it out for yourself:


Oh boy....the tears are dripping.

Friends, this story is amazing, it is a miracle, I knew it from the beginning, and I just can't fully comprehend it still, but it is amazing!

Just talking with Gretl on the phone. Luke is doing well. He is in the ICU and his chest is not closed, but he is doing well. There were no complications during surgery and it went faster than expected.

God is caring for Gretl's every need, providing brothers and sisters in Israel who have been praying with her and supporting her.

I can't explain it, I have no way to even comprehend it, it is amazing!

Ah, sob, drip....

Praising God from the ROOFTOPS!!!

Prayer Request....

My bloggy-friend Lynsay, who has a foster home called Morning Star Project, is asking for prayer for one of their foster kids who is having surgery this Wednesday. Not just any surgery, mind you, but a life-saving heart surgery being performed as a humanitarian effort in Israel! It's a long read, but worth the time to see God's hand on this young boy's life. Also, the Israeli embassy made this video of their efforts. Quite a bit of attention for this Chinese orphan, huh?

Also, we are planning on visiting Lynsay and the Morning Star Foundation while we are in Beijing this June. I am hoping to meet Luke in person and witness this tiny miracle for myself! So be praying, and I will update as soon as I hear more....

We are Family Day!

Are you an adoptive family AND a Mariner fan? If so, join us for We are Family Day on Sunday, May 2. It looks to be a fantastic day for all ages:)



Looking forward to seeing my men in the outifeld:

Our little artist....

So today Jaelyn was honored by our local library where she placed second in the kindergarten category of their book coloring contest. Here is the book she drew her ideas from:

As you can see from the photo she did a super job, and was extremely proud! So were we:) This is definitely a strength she did not inherit from me...hehe!

Bouncin' Birthday fun....

Saturday turned out to be a gorgeous day, just in time for Kaia's birthday and party! I can't believe our baby is six! Two years ago we won a bouncy house party at an auction at our church, in support of the Mexico Mission trip. Well we finally were able to cash in on it, so Kaia had herself a Disney Princess Castle party! A shout out to the owners of Air Time Party Rentals, as they let us have the inflatable all day! We had a princess castle pinata too, but the real hit of the party turned out to be the lotus flower candle!


My sister-in-law and I first saw these candles when we were working at the orphanage in China in 2007. We always throw the kids a birthday party on our last day there, including a cake and candles. We witnessed the coolest candle ever, a closed lotus flower with several wicks that spark and plays happy birthday as it opens up. We wanted to bring some back to the US, but could not find them in any stores. I did some research on the Internet when I got back to the states, and found out they were illegal here in the US. Last summer while in China we happened upon them in a bakery, but I was too nervous to bring them back in our luggage. Fast forward to March of this year, and my sil Tonyia saw them in Safeway, of all places! Of course, she had to buy one and send it to Kaia for her party. Maybe they're legal here now, as I can't find the warning online now, but it's wild. Let's just say it didn't disappoint anyone! Excuse my loud singing on the video, but this is a must see:


The fun didn't stop there though. This is what happens when a 15 year old tries to mix with a herd of five and six year olds (look closely, he's at the bottom):



After the party the big kids (including adults) got to join in on the fun, and did so until sundown! The owner left giant boxing gloves and headgear for our enjoyment. It was quite the workout. The teenage boys looked so sweet jumping in the princess house:)

Spring break getaway...

Once again I had spring break all to myself, as Mike, Josh and the girls had theirs a week before mine. That didn't slow me down though:) My parents were still here a couple days after Easter so I kept the girls out of school and we made a cold and rainy dash to see the tulips.


Next, the girls and I headed to the Great Wolf Lodge to meet up with friends for some serious girl time! My girls have always loved wolves (my school's mascot), so they loved the animatronic show that highlighted wolves. Watch the girls participate in the "Wolf call" that the host had them do. I don't think anyone was as loud as they were! They loved it so much that they had the other children on the playground at school doing it when I picked them up on Friday!



They really cater to children...the rooms were decorated like log cabins, things on the wall come to life, and the water park has great play areas where little ones can be self sufficient. We all had a blast, but needed a vacation from our vacation to rest up.

Happy News...

I get tired of all the negative news, so I thought I would share this wonderful story. I hope this gentleman is successful, because his heart is in the right place!

Where's Joseph when you need him???

First of all I have to say I never rarely dream. If I do, I have a difficult time remembering them in the morning, and they are not typically about what is happening in my life "real" life. That is why I am perplexed by last week's dreams, when I had back-to-back dreams about this summer's return trip to Chaoyang.

In the first dream, I was so excited to see the children at the orphanage, since it has been two years since we last saw them. I noticed one of the children I was looking for was not there, and I was entertaining the thought that she was not there because she had been adopted. You see, she is a hermaphrodite, and I highly doubt that she will ever be put up for adoption. She is the sweetest girl (see below) and would thrive in a forever family, but that is not always how things work there. In my dream I ran up to one of the nannies to ask where she was, and was so disappointed to learn she was just away from the orphanage for a short time, having some testing done.



The next night my dream was that on my drive to the airport, I realized that I had left all my toiletries back at my house. Now if you know me at all, you know I am a low maintenance gal, so it wasn't my makeup I was worried about. It was the fact that I had left all my medications behind (I am Type I diabetic and have Hypothyroidism). For some reason though, I didn't worry about not having my insulin, just my thyroid medication. I kept debating whether or not I should turn around and get them, missing my flight, or keep on going and risk illness while in China. I decided to drive on in faith, and low and behold, when we got to the airport our flight was delayed. I quickly called my oldest and asked him to grab my toiletries and make the two hour drive to the airport (without speeding, of course). My dream left off there, so I am not sure what happened after that.

So if there are any Joseph's out there who can interpret my dreams, send them my way...

Finally....Easter!

Well we Mike was finally able to get pictures off our camera and uploaded, so I have quite a bit of catching up to do. I will begin with Easter and add more later.

The day before was a dreary day, so instead of our usual egg hunt at the fire station, we opted for a drier hunt at....



Fortunately Easter itself turned out a bit nicer, so we were able to hunt outside without getting wet (unlike last year). Yes, they were a bit competitive, but all kids, big and small, participated and had a good time. I won't just won't reveal who won....

Team J:



Team K:


Grandma and Papa were up again this year to celebrate Christ's resurrection with us!


Our crazy family: